


The Price of Love

by tsoden



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Drama & Romance, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Choking, Friendship, Gay Poe Dameron, Good and Evil, Implied Poe Dameron/Finn, Jakku, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Lightsabers, M/M, Oral Sex, Outer Space, POV Kylo Ren, POV Rey (Star Wars), POV Third Person, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Protective Finn, Rebellion, Romance, Sad Ending, Smut, The Dark Side of the Force
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-05-02 04:00:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14536185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsoden/pseuds/tsoden
Summary: The time of the Jedi has passed. Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, is no more. The rebellion has been reduced to nearly nothing, and The First Order continues to terrorize the galaxy. Still General Leia Organa, with the help of Poe Dameron, is working hard to restore hope to the galaxy.Rey is doing her part to contribute to the rebel cause. Kylo Ren is working to fill his role as Supreme Leader of The First Order. Then, unexpectedly, the two are connected by the force once again. With Snoke dead it is unclear how they are making the connection, and what that connection means for them and for the fate of the galaxy. (AKA basically a smutty love story built from the force bond that connects Rey and Kylo.)





	The Price of Love

Months had passed since the last time Rey and Kylo had been connected by the force, since the battle on the rebel outpost in the Outer Rim. Slowly, the resistance had been rebuilding their numbers and their resources. Rey had been so involved with mobilization efforts that Kylo Ren had barely crossed her mind.

But this morning, when making some routine repairs on the Millenium Falcon she'd hurt her left hand. It should be quick to heal but Finn had insisted she take the rest of the day off to recuperate. In her quarters she was growing antsy and her mind couldn't stop wandering to Kylo, to Ben Solo. 

She reviewed the last time she spoke with him in her mind. She saw his outstretched hand, clad in black, reaching out to her. His deep voice, rough like gravel, join me.

“Rey.”

Suddenly the air in the room grew still, almost as if time stopped moving. Her name echoed in her ears like a whisper. Rey suddenly felt claustrophobic in the tight quarters as she sensed someone else in there with her. It was him.

“I was wondering when I would see you again.”

His voice was unmistakable. Rough like wool, it sent a shiver down her spine. She sat up in bed and faced him dead on, jaw set, eyes locked on his. Her heart was pounding and her skin was crawling with heat.

“Get. Out. Of. My. Head.” The words came out of her mouth in sputters. He had killed Han Solo. He had tried to kill Luke Skywalker. He tried to snuff out the remainder of the rebellion. The last bit kindness she felt for him had evaporated on Crait.

For a split second a look of hurt flashed across Kylo’s face, but it was only a second. His dark eyes narrowed and his face hardened.

“I'm not the one who made this connection Rey from Nowhere.”

As quickly as he had arrived, he was gone. The air in the room suddenly felt fresh. Stifled by the force connection it now came back to life. The deafening silence that filled the room when the only one she could see was Kylo Ren had now been broken, and she realised there was a knock at her door.

What did he mean when he said it hadn’t been him to make the connection? Had it been her? Or was there some other force manipulating them, the way Snoke once did?

The knocking continued, more violently this time.

She stood from her bed and pressed a button on a keypad next to her door, and with a woosh it opened to reveal Finn before her.

“Rey are you okay? I've been knocking for a few minutes. Why didn't you answer?”

She rubbed her eye, wiping a tear away.

“Oh yeah, I was just sleeping,” she lied, adding in a yawn for good measure.

Kylo’s words had cut deeper than she had thought possible. In the weeks when they had been manipulated by Snoke, connected by the force, she had felt closer to him than anyone she had known before. That closeness and trust had been broken when he stood idly by as the First Order tried to annihilate everyone she held dear, including his own mother General Leia Organa.

She had wanted so hard to believe that he could be the last hope of the resistance. Now, despite all the hard work the rebels were putting in to rebuilding their numbers, she wondered if they would ever have hope again.

“Seriously, are you okay?” Finn’s big brown eyes were filled with worry as he looked at her. Suddenly she felt guilty for everything she'd been hiding from her friend. 

She quickly tried to change the subject.

“I'm fine, how's Rose doing?”

The look of worry on Finn’s face dropped off as his mouth curled into a toothy grin, his cheeks puffed up and flushed with the slightest amount of pink at her name. Rey had only been gone for a short time, but Finn had won another girl over with his charm in that time, and what they felt for eachother was clear. Even if Finn wouldn’t admit it.

“She’s doing great! I heard from her this morning,” Finn told her excitedly. “Her mission on her home planet of Hays Minor is going well, she said the people in the Otomok System are sympathetic to the Resistance’s cause after being held hostage by the First Order for so long. She plans to gather a few more supporters and head back to base in a few days.”

Rey smiled, Finn was almost out of breath with the excitement of Rose returning home. Rey knew he was missing Rose in her absence. There was a pang of jealousy knowing her friend had onced missed her that way too. She was the one pushing him away though, not the other way around. She knew that if she admitted there was still a link between her and Kylo Ren it would send a ripple of disquiet through the remainder of the rebel forces. No, she had to keep quiet for her own sake.

“I’m getting tired of sitting in here. Isn’t there something I could do?” 

“Actually, I came to tell you there is someone who wants to see you,” Finn said.

Immediately, Rey’s mind jumped to Kylo. His dark swirling hair and his broad shoulders filled out the picture of her mind. There’s no way someone could know she’d seen him, but her pulse quickened at the thought.

Hiding her nerves, she nodded and followed Finn out of the doors to her quarters and down a narrow hallway that lead into a large loading bay. All around them resistance fighters were working, those of them that were left. She spotted a round orange droid rolling toward her, immediately recognizing the shape of BB-8. He chirped excitedly to see her out of her chamber, as if it had been weeks since they’d last seen each other and not a mere couple of hours.

Chirp, chirp cheeeep chup?

“I’m doing perfectly fine BB-8,” Rey said with a chuckle.

Chiiirp chirp chip chirp irp.

Rey smiled at the droid as Poe Dameron approached the group. He was wearing his orange pilot jumpsuit, his black helmet tucked under his arm.

“Sometimes I wonder if he doesn’t like you better than me,” Poe joked.

Cheeeeee-irp! 

BB-8’s response was indignant, even Finn picked up on the droid’s outrage and the three of them laughed together. 

“Good to see you, Admiral Dameron,” Rey said. The rank fit the man. Despite his rash actions in the previous months, the ones that led to the death of so many including Rose’s sister Paige, he was a born leader. Even Leia had recognized that, taking a step back and letting Poe make decisions for the resistance in recent months.

“BB-8 we have to get back to work,” Poe said. He turned to his friends and explained that several of the resistance pilots, including himself, were leaving on a reconnaissance mission later that afternoon. The rebels were short on supplies, and fighters were going to be needed to protect their supply ship. It was a routine mission, but with their dwindling resources they were more vulnerable than ever.

“That’s okay,” Finn said. “We have somewhere we need to be anyway. May the Force be with you.”

“May it be with you too my friend,” Poe said as he pulled Finn into a tight embrace. The hug was a demonstration of friendship, that lasted just a second too long. When he pulled himself away Poe nodded to Rey and he took off with his droid back to their work.

With that Finn and Rey continued through the loading bay toward another door that lead to a room she had never been in before. Immediately, she knew who was behind the door and she wasn’t surprised when it wooshed open and General Leia was standing there.

Her hair was tied up in mourning knot, as it had been since the death of the love of her life and the father of her child, Han Solo. But now she was in mourning for so much more. The loss of her beloved brother Luke Skywalker, and the final inevitable loss of her son Ben Solo to the dark side.

The stress of the past year showed on her face. Though she was still beautiful, the lines on her forehead had deepened and the skin under her eyes was translucent. Always the one to have hope, sometimes she now struggled to find it within herself. Now more than ever, she had to protect what was left of the resistance, so that some hope could be sparked in the next generation. Hope was what the galaxy desperately needed, and any threat to that had to be dealt with, which is why she had called for Rey.

“Thank you Finn,” she said dismissing him with a simple wave of her hand. He hesitated to leave, but she shot him a look and he left the two women alone in the room.

Rey had always had good interactions with Leia before but she found herself growing nervous now that they were alone. She could only imagine what the General had to say to her. A drop of sweat formed on the bridge of her nose and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she waited for Leia to speak.

The General took her time. Never one to mince words, it was clear she was thinking hard over how to phrase the reason she had called for Rey.

“The Force is strong with you,” she said simply. It was not a question, but a statement and because of that Rey wasn’t sure how she was supposed to reply. Still standing awkwardly near the threshold of the chamber, Leia beckoned her to sit.

Rey took several steps forward before sitting on a chair opposite of Leia’s. The chairs were simple, but comfortable and Rey immediately felt a bit more at ease.

“Yes, I can feel it inside me. I think it’s getting stronger,” Rey replied.

Leia nodded.

“In time you will learn your true strength. Trust you will know what to do when the time comes,” she replied. She was still skirting her words around the true reason for the visit. Almost unwilling to say the words aloud for fear of their truth. But eventually she could wait no more.

“Earlier I sensed my son,” Leia said, looking directly at Rey. “And I did not sense him halfway across the galaxy, it was almost as if.... As if he were right here with us.”

Rey had never seen Leia stumble over her words, but it was clear she was struggling with what she was saying now. The nerves Rey felt when she first entered the room were back, and she could feel her stomach knotting at Leia’s implication.

“If you know something you’re not sharing, now would be the time,” Leia said suddenly stern. Her face immediately softened then. “If you think there is hope for my son, I need to know.”

“There is no hope for Kylo Ren.”

Rey was resolved in her reply. Her voice came more sternly than she’d meant it to. There was a time when she believed in Ben Solo, believed he could be the hope the galaxy needed. That had all turned out to be a lie. He would never be anything more than Kylo Ren.

Leia decided a more blunt approach would be necessary. Years of diplomacy had taught her to be tactful, but now she needed answers.

“Have you been in contact with my son?”

Rey hesitated for a minute. Part of her wanted to admit everything, to tell Leia how the force had connected her with Kylo when she was on her mission to find Luke. But she knew how it would look if she did. She knew the others would think she was a liability or worse, a spy. So she said nothing. Instead she shook her head and Leia let out a deep sigh.

“I suppose I was just clinging to a small thread of hope,” Leia said sinking her head into her palm. “Sorry to disturb you, you may leave.”

Rey felt bad leaving Leia upset, but she couldn't afford to stay in the room with her any longer. Something about Leia made her want to confess her deepest darkest secrets, secrets that were better left buried.

She went off to go find Finn, keeping her thoughts clear of Kylo Ren for the rest of the day.

\---

It was several weeks before Rey and Kylo would be connected once again. Earlier that day General Hux had informed Kylo of a suspected group of rebel sympathizers in the Otomok System. The two had spent the better part of the afternoon devising a plan to scare them with the flex of the power of the First Order. Hux, his hair aflame, was going on excitedly about what he thought the best plan of action was. His pale cheeks flushed as he talked and the pitch of his voice rose as he explained his plan.

It was giving Kylo a headache.

Ever since Snoke was killed, Hux had been more forthwith about his place in the First Order. Without the strong show of power from the imposing Supreme Leader he was feeling more comfortable aboard the ship. Though Kylo had proved his succession through a show of strength it was clear that though they feared him, Hux and his army did not hold the same reverence for him that they’d shown Snoke.

Kylo cut Hux off mid-sentence. He hadn’t been paying attention to the General’s ramblings and his head was starting to throb harder, making it impossible to focus.

“Leave.”

“But--” Hux started.

Before the words were out of his mouth, Kylo grabbed a hold of him with his force strength and threw him toward the door. Suddenly the anger welled up inside him beating out the pulsating pain in his head.

“I SAID LEAVE!” Kylo yelled, so loudly that the vein in his forehead rose like a mountain range under his hairline. He felt sweaty and hot, so he left the bridge to go cool off.

As he walked around the ship anyone whose path he crossed scattered like mice. Their eyes showed fear, but he knew none of them respected him. He wondered how things would be different if Rey had just taken his hand. They could have ruled together, and he wouldn’t have to waste his time worrying about what the remainder of the rebels were up to. What she was up to.

He didn’t let himself think of her often, but sometimes when he felt alone there was a pang in his heart for what could have been.

Back in his room he stripped off his black robes, and immediately felt a sense of relief. He took his pants off and stepped into a refresher. He hoped the water would help relieve his headache. He stood in the cool shower for a few minutes, rinsing the sweat from his body before stepping back out. 

He dried off and put on a fresh set of clothes. His head was still pounding, the water had not helped with anything accept calming his temper. He sat in a chair made of black fabric and metal and put his head between his knees. His hair was still damp and soaked into his pants where his head rested, but he didn’t care.

Then, as if a switch flipped, his headache was gone. The air in the room felt different, and it took him a moment to realise it. When he looked up the pounding had stopped and Rey was standing there in front of him.

“I’d rather not do this right now,” he sighed.

She said nothing, just stared at him. He could imagine how he looked right now. Not like an imposing Supreme Leader, but like a beaten down dog. Though something in him was excited to see her again, he mostly wished she would just go away.

“Did you hear me?” 

This time Rey responded.

“Last time this happened you said it wasn’t you doing it. How to you know?”

He narrowed his eyes. Now she was going to talk to him civilly? He stood from his chair and walked over to face her. She took a step back, but didn’t break her eye contact with him.

“Don’t you think I’d just know?”

“Did you know Snoke was manipulating us?” She asked quickly.

For a moment he considered lying to her, but something in her eyes stopped him. His head dropped, once again making him look like a defeated puppy and not the imposing ruler he was to the rest of the galaxy.

“No,” he said quietly. “I didn’t.”

Rey’s arm lifted from her side, and as if it had a mind of its own it went to his face. His eyes were still on the floor, but her hand brushed against his cheek, right over where she had left him a nasty scar. Tenderly she touched him and his eyes locked with hers as his face fell deeper into her hand.

They could feel each other. It was as if they were in the same room, and not lightyears away. He felt the roughness of her fingers, and the calousses on her hand. They were the hands of someone whose life had never been easy, someone who had always had to work for what they had. Yet, still she was tender in the way she cupped his head in her palm.

“Rey,” a voice from beyond their boundaries called out. She dropped her hand and her face turned toward the voice. Just like that, she was gone and his headache was back.

\--

“The First Order is systematically wiping out any population rumored to have sympathies with our cause,” Leia said to a room full of rebel fighters. A ragtag group, they hadn’t managed to build their numbers significantly since the retreat from Crait. There were maybe two dozen of them left.

They’d been sitting in the makeshift meeting room for nearly an hour, and some of the younger members were starting to get antsy. Rey herself, hated this part of being a rebel. The sitting and talking part. She was much better at action, let the others do the planning.

Across the room Rose and Finn were whispering into each other's ears, quietly laughing at a shared joke. Just a few days ago Rose had returned with a handful of new rebels. Most of them were very young, barely out of puberty. In one of them, they hoped, was a secret weapon.

They were going to need to mobilize on a much larger scale if they wanted to be any threat to the First Order. Getting supplies had become harder, their resources along with their numbers had dropped significantly and the weapons suppliers they once went to were now refusing to sell to them, knowing a lost cause when they saw one.

Finally the meeting was wrapping up. Leia had the floor and was about to embark on a secret mission.

“I have someone I need to see in Gal'fian'deprisi on the planet Galantos,” Leia said, the only part of her plan she shared with the group. “I think they may be able to help us. While I’m gone Admiral Dameron is in charge. May the force be with us all.”

With Leia’s final words the group dispersed and began to chatter before getting back to work. Finn and Rose stood to leave without a second glance at Rey. Poe saw it too, and caught Rey’s eyes. She wasn’t sure if the look he gave her was pity meant for her or for himself. She was about to leave too when Leia called her over.

“I felt it again,” Leia said, eyes bearing into Rey. “Are you sure there is nothing I should know before I leave?”

Rey hesitated before shaking her head.

Leia’s eyes bore into her revealing her distrust. She waited a long minute analyzing Rey’s face, looking for some sign of betrayal before her features softened. 

“Very well,” she said, and with that Leia was gone.

\--

The guilt was back, but Rey found that her desire to see Kylo again outweighed the guilt she felt over lying to Leia. The only time in her life Rey had ever felt whole, the only time the pit of loneliness left her body was when she saw Kylo Ren, Ben Solo. 

That same night they were connected once again. Her eyes took a minute to adjust in the pitch black surroundings. A full minute passed before she realised he was asleep in his bed.

“Guess Supreme Leaders need their sleep too,” Rey muttered.

Kylo stirred at the noise but didn’t wake. Rey went to his bedside, now almost certain that it was through her own power that they were making this connection. What else would explain the fact that he lay in front of her completely unconscious?

Something in her screamed out to touch him. With each breath he snored, but it was the quiet snore of a child and not the sound you’d expect from a full grown man with the power to commit genocide. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity for him.

Once she was standing over him, she reached out and touched a lock of hair that was blocking his face. She brushed it aside with her finger and only then did he wake.

“Are you here to kill me? I know you looked up to Luke, but I didn’t expect this.” His voice cracked as he spoke, still tired from sleep, but there was no fear in his eyes.

She wasn’t sure why she had made the connection, but she knew she felt less alone when she was near him. Now she wanted to reach out and touch him.

“No,” she said, hesitant to reach out now that he was awake. “Do you still want to kill me?”

“No,” he replied truthfully. “I don't know that I ever truly did.”

She reached her hand back down toward him eager to feel the warmth of his skin on her fingertips. On the bed Kylo, still fresh from sleep, blinked his eyes into focus and lifted his face toward her.

He noted that she smelled of sheet metal and jasmine, an odd combination of sweet and sour that he couldn't resist it. He reached out with his own hand and took hers into his, pulling her toward him. She fell toward the bed, undone hair cascading around her face.

They hovered inches apart before one of them, it's hard to say who, closed the gap and their lips met in a kiss.

Kylo’s plump lips were soft and warm and Rey was immediately overtaken by them, sinking further into the bed. It wasn't long before both Rey and Kylo were half dressed, both lost in the moment and forgetting the force connection entirely. Forgetting that they weren’t really sharing the same room, the same bed.

Kylo ran one large, strong hand down Rey’s bare side and she quivered with excitement. Goosebumps prickled on her arms and her nipples hardened on her small breasts. She still had her boots on but neither of them noticed as they tangled themselves in a mess of bare skin and sheets.

Tentatively Rey’s hand explored down Kylo’s chest. She followed a trail of light hairs down from his belly button to below his waist line until her hand found what it was searching for.

The girth of what she now held reminded her vaguely of what it felt like to hold a lightsaber for the first time. Weighty and hard, it filled her hand and filled her chest with the pounding of excitement.

She gripped his hilt and stroked gently, moving her hand up and down. Kylo let out a quiet groan and she kissed him on the lips a final time before moving her mouth down to where her hand was.

Her eyes had now adjusted to the darkness and she could see the look of pleasure on his face as she took his lightsaber into her mouth. It didn't take long before the culmination of his pleasure would be hers.

“Rey, I'm about to-”

And in that moment, without warning, Rey was back in her quarters surrounded by the rebel base she was working so hard to rebuild and Kylo was alone on his bed in the dark.

She could still taste him in her mouth, her clothes piled on her own bed around her. As she pulled her shirt over her head she felt more lonely than she ever had before.

\--

Everyone aboard the ship could see that their leader was in an unusual mood this morning. Usually ready to break something, or someone, at the drop of a hat today the Supreme Leader seemed almost chipper.

Somehow that scared the crew more than his unpredictable temper tantrums.

General Hux slinked into the room. Kylo Ren had threatened to kill him so many times, he wasn’t sure what new threats the day would bring and he had some news to share.

Kylo stood facing the expanse of stars beyond the helm of the ship, his back to the General who now cleared his throat. Lost in thought, Kylo did not so much as turn at the sounds of the nervous red-head.

A few more attempts at throat clearing were made before Kylo finally spoke.

“Shall I call in a doctor? I fear you may be dying.”

General Hux let out a nervous chuckle as Kylo turned toward him.

“Say what you came here to say,” Kylo said. He may be in a good mood today, but that wouldn’t stop Hux from grating on his nerves.

“There is news of your mother,” Hux said. A flash of anger crossed Kylo’s face, and Hux quickly realized his mistake and amended his words.

“There is news of the rebel general Leia Organa. She is headed toward the planet Galantos. I have ordered a ship to overtake her. We should have her in our custody within the hour. I thought her fate should be left up to you. Supreme Leader,” he added the show of respect as an afterthought, but his eyes were sparkling with mischief.

He had long suspected that Kylo Ren, while ruthless in so many ways would not have the heart to kill his own mother. When the boy failed there would be a mutiny. He would finally be able to take charge of the ship, and of the First Order.

If this news affected Kylo he did not let it show on his face. Though secretly he was hoping that his mother would once again evade them. She had battled death once before and won. It seemed there was nothing she couldn’t do.

“Very well, you may leave.”

With a smug look on his face General Hux turned and left. It seemed Kylo Ren did not have the monopoly on good moods this morning.

He waited until he was sure he was alone. He had to reach out to Rey, to somehow warn them. Not only did he not want to kill his mother, he knew Rey would never trust him again if he captured the rebel leader. There was another way to squash the rebellion, he knew. He just needed to convince Rey to join forces with him, as equals.

He stood alone facing the stars and willed the force to connect them. He felt the strings that connected him to Rey but try as hard as he might he could not make himself appear to her. He thought of the night before, her skin on his. He pictured her face, and her voice, the sweet smell of jasmine. Nothing worked.

Before he knew it, the hour was up. He’d run out of time. As promised, General Hux marched back on to the bridge, pushing an aged Leia in front of him.

Kylo missed a breath as he saw his mother for the first time in years. She had aged tremendously in that time. No longer the thin beautiful woman he remembered. Every hair on her head had turned a dark silver, and her eyes betrayed the sadness she felt. 

“Son,” was all she said when she saw him. Her voice gravelled with age.

“Mother,” his deep voice echoed back.

He knew that now he needed to make a show of power, but his mind was reeling. How could he get out of this? It might be too late.

“Why was your ship headed toward the planet Galantos?”

“I see the time for pleasantries is passed,” was all Leia said in response.

Kylo once again felt like a young boy, before he had gone off to train as a jedi with his uncle. His mother always had a way of making him feel small.

“Answer the question.”

“I wasn’t heading to Galantos. I was heading here.”

General Hux stiffened. For as much intel as he had gathered in the past weeks on the rebel fighters, this piece was not part of it. 

“She’s lying,” he spat, face turning as red as his hair.

“Silence,” Kylo Ren said raising his gloved hand to threaten a forced silence if the general did not comply. Only Hux, Kylo and Leia were in the room. There was a way around this he just needed to find it.

“I am not lying,” Leia said with eyes holding steady on her son’s.

“What is your intent here?” Kylo asked calmly, dragging out each word as if it pained him to say it.

“I know that you have been visiting Rey. I can feel it.”

His eyes flashed, briefly betraying his worry. It was brief, but long enough that Hux picked up on it.

“Is this true?” Hux asked.

“Of course it’s not true,” Kylo said too quickly. He knew that he could not let Hux leave now. No one else could know that he had Rey were still connected, even if it was just a rumor. It would undermine his power, make him a laughing stock on the ship. Hux would have no trouble taking control if word of this got out. More importantly it would put Rey in danger.

Leia looked up at him, sympathy in her eyes. She still saw a thread of good in her son, and now she knew. His feelings for Rey were more than just a ploy for power. He loved the girl.

“Ben, there is still--” Her words were cut off by the sound of a blaster pistol. Kylo’s eyes widened, looking for the source of the sound. It was less than a second before he saw Hux’s arm raised, weapon in hand. 

He was uninjured, so what had Hux shot at? Then he looked back at his mother, a trickle of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. A pool of blood was gathering on her dress over the left breast, through her heart. Her eyes were cloudy. She was gone.

And then, as if haunting him she appeared.

My Ben, there is still hope.

With those last words the ghost of his mother was gone. Kylo Ren could feel the rage bubbling up inside him. His anger like a pot about to boil over. He wanted blood. So much for his good mood.

Before Hux could lower his weapon, Kylo had him in a force choke. He would not be leaving here alive. Hand outstretched in a choke hold, Kylo had Hux hostage. Kylo lifted his arm and the general raised up in the air, toes brushing the marbled black ground under them. 

He gurgled, struggling for breath. This death was too kind, too simple. Kylo wanted more. He reached to his lightsaber, tucked into the belt at his waist. He pulled it out, and it’s electric energy whirred. The instability of his weapon was always something that had drawn him to it. So like him it was.

He flourished the saber. Each movement releasing a spurt of power. Once he was upon Hux he released his force hold. The general sunk to the ground, blaster gun sinking to the floor beside him. Kylo used the force to push the weapon away as he stood before the general.

“You have undermined me for the last time,” Kylo said in a voice so deep, its resonance seemed to shake the ground beneath them. “Any last words?”

Still gasping for breath, Hux did nothing more than look up at him. He saw the wild in his brown eyes and began to laugh. Labored at first, lungs still not full of air, then stronger. He was still laughing when Kylo struck him through with the saber, in the same spot the general had shot his mother.

It was only once the laughing stopped that Kylo felt the change in the air around him. Several feet away, staring down at Leia’s body was Rey, tears streaming down her face.

“I heard you call to me,” she said through choked sobs. “I thought… I thought…”

She didn’t finish her sentence and before Kylo had a chance to explain she was gone. He sunk to the floor and cried like a child.

\--

Rey’s eyes were still wet as she ran to the office where Admiral Dameron had set up his command. She needed to see him, to tell him what happened. There was a ripple in the force, she was sure everyone could feel it, but she needed to explain what she had seen. What she had been seeing.

Without hesitation she banged with both fists on the hard metal door. Almost instantly it swung open. Poe was standing there bleary-eyed, clearly upset over something. From the look on his face it was clear it wasn’t Rey he was expecting to see. 

He took in her appearance, disheveled and wet-faced and stepped aside to let her into the office that was just slightly larger than a broom closet. He moved behind his desk and motioned for her to sit in the one chair opposite it. The both took their seat and Rey spilled her story.

She told Poe that Leia was dead, and she told him of everything that happened before. The guilt over not telling Leia sooner poured out as she walked Poe through what had happened between her and Kylo. She went all the way back to her time spent with Luke at the first Jedi Temple on Ahch-To.

Poe’s face betrayed his thoughts, something he would have to work on now that he was the leader of the resistance. At first he was angry, but then he thought of Finn and what he would do to protect him and a pang of understanding coursed through him. Then he felt he needed to admit something to Rey, something that would let her know the blame wasn’t entirely hers.

“I knew of Leia’s plan to visit her son. That was the true purpose of her mission to Galantos.”

“But I thought--”

“I know,” Poe said. “We leaked the information through our channels knowing it would reach the First Order. Her plan was to be captured and face Kylo Ren. She had believed there was still hope for him, but she also knew there was a great risk.”

Rey thought to the last time she spoke with Leia, right before she’d embarked on what was essentially a suicide mission. If Rey had been honest with her then, perhaps none of this would have happened. Though after the connection she had with Kylo she never would have believed he’d kill his own mother.

She was a fool. His brutality had caught her off guard before. She would not let it happen again.

Poe sat behind his desk. He was putting a plan into motion. Before Leia had left they had discussed what would happen if she didn’t make it back from her mission, but now there was the new information Rey had divulged. He wasn’t sure how much that changed things.

“Do you think you could use this connection to get information out of Kylo Ren?”

Rey was taken aback. After what she’d seen she wasn’t sure she wanted to make a connection with him ever again. Despite that, the guilt she felt was overwhelming and she knew that this was perhaps the only way she could be useful. It was the only way she would be trusted.

“Yes,” I think he still trusts me,” she replied.

“Don’t tell anyone else about this,” Poe said seriously. “I don’t know how they’d react, and this might be our only chance at getting the upper hand.”

Rey nodded. She needed to be strong now. Though there was a deep chasm inside her, she needed to stay strong because the fate of the resistance lay with her. Poe dismissed her, told her to freshen up and get something to eat. They would all meet back at the meeting room in an hour.

\--

Now alone with the corpse of his mother and his top general, Kylo cried until his eyes ran dry. When there was nothing left in him he bent over to kiss his mother’s forehead before regaining his composure as leader. His eyes were bloodshot, but he would have to play it off like he killed Leia and Hux if he wanted to maintain control of the ship. 

He opened the thick black door separating the room from the rest of the ship. Two stormtroopers stood guarding the door. Without looking at them he left the room, cloak swooping behind him. For the first time since he crushed his mask he was upset he didn’t have something to hide behind.

“Clean that mess up,” he said as he left the guards to their work.

It was a short time before news of the the death of Hux had spread through the ship, and before news of Leia’s death spread through the galaxy. Kylo was sure Rey had already informed the rebels of their leader’s demise, placing the blame on him. He wondered if she’d shared their secrets as well. The thought of it made his stomach clench.

The Resistance would be forming a plan. He knew he must plan now too.

\--

“General Leia Organa is dead,” Poe announced to what was left of the rebel fighters. Several dozen people crowded in the room and started clamoring as soon as the words were out of his mouth. 

The eclectic group of rebels scattered from all around the galaxy wore roughspun jumpsuits, covered with patches. They were all in need of haircuts and a good scrub. To say the group had seen better days was an understatement, and perhaps untrue after all they had endured at the hands of the First Order.

After several moments of chatter, a voice rose above the rest announcing their unrest.

“How do you know?”

“It can’t be true,” shouted another in the back of the room.

“We’re done for,” a third voice cried out.

“Please, settle down,” Poe said raising both palms to quiet the crowd. With all attention focused on him, he caught Finn’s eyes before he continued speaking. “Leia knew the risks when she went on the mission. She put me in charge should anything go wrong. We have a plan.”

More murmurs came from the crowd. The room was clearly unsure of the words they had just heard. Though Leia had not shared the details of her plan, surely she wouldn’t have gone had she known there was a risk of death. The crowd pulsated with the thought of it.

That’s when Rose leaped from her seat next to Finn.

“I’m with you,” she cried out. It was less a statement to reassure Poe and more of one made for the benefit of the crowd. “Let me know what you need and I’ll be there to do it, General Dameron.”

This was the third time in less than a year that his title had changed, and though General Dameron had a nice ring to it he wasn’t sure he liked the way he had gotten the new title. But the reverence on Rose’s round face as he addressed him with the new title gave him the confidence he needed to regain control of the crowd.

“Thank you Rose,” he said as the crowd settled down once again.

“The First Order is strong, but in addition to the loss of Leia our intel had discovered that Kylo’s right hand man has also been killed. This may be the best opportunity we have to gather support. While the First Order works to reestablish leadership we will put all our efforts into rebuilding our numbers. Kylo Ren is weakened. Now is the time to move.”

A shout of agreement rang out through the crowd. His words had done their job. The loss was a big one, but it had served a greater purpose, and now his people were more motivated than ever. If only he could devise a plan that would use Rey’s connection to Kylo Ren to their advantage.

He wished Leia were around to offer her advice, but no. He would have to do this alone.

Throughout the meeting, the remaining rebel forces brainstormed ways to bolster their forces. Now was the time to recruit. Now was the time to move on territories that had been under General Hux’s watchful eye.

While everyone else talked excitedly Rey remained quiet. She and Poe were the only two who knew of their true advantage, and while everyone else was talking she was thinking of a way to use it.

As soon as the meeting was over, Rey approached Poe. He had been talking to one of the older rebels, a middle-aged dresselian. The dresselian had a face like a dried out grape and one eye was covered with a black cloth eye patch. Poe flashed him a pearly grin before turning his attention to Rey.

When his sparkling eyes met with her somber ones he fleetingly realized they’d spoken more today than they ever had previously. What a sad circumstance to join forces under. But then she spoke and the sparkle came back. Maybe there was hope.

“General Dameron, I have an idea.”

\--

Her idea was a risky one. To pull it off they would need help, but the less people who knew the better. Failure could mean Rey’s death, but she had to try. There was no other way.

She went over the basics of her plan with Poe. He agreed that though it was risky, they might be able to pull it off with some help. They called in Finn and Rose, and a boy Rose had brought back from her home planet. His name was Samuel and if rumors were true he was the key to their plan.

Rumor had it there was no one in the galaxy more savvy with technology than him. A child prodigy it was said he built his first droid from spare parts at the age of four. Since then, he had invented machines that helped with the mining of his home planet. 

From a young age, the First Order had been aware of his talents and had made use of them. In his spare time, he had worked to undermine their reign over his people. When the five of them gathered in a supply room off the main hangar, far from anyone who might overhear them, the young boy was instantly drawn to Rey.

With his chestnut brown hair and round cheeks, he looked like he could be her younger brother. It was clear he knew why he had been called to the room, as an air of cockiness surrounded him. Still, he was more than willing to help.

“I can build a blaster gun from a pile of scrap metal in less than ten minutes. If there’s something you need I’m your guy,” he said with a wink.

Rose was seated next to him, and rolled her eyes. The two had never had much interaction back on their home planet, but being from the same place gave them a kinship no one else in the room shared. 

“So he claims,” she said.

Poe and Finn both looked interested though. He would be a good asset, if his stories were true. But, before Samuel could continue Rey spoke. While Poe was the leader of the rebels, Rey was the leader of this mission. Her life would be the one most directly at stake.

“Now, the plan I'm about to tell you can never leave this room,” Rey said. She looked at the four faces staring back at her and told them about her connection to Kylo Ren. Leaving out the details, she recounted how she had visited him on his ship, and how she had seen him standing with his lightsaber over the lifeless body of Princess Leia.

She explained how when they were connected they could feel each other. They could touch hands as if they were in the same room, but any damage inflicted would be a mere shadow of pain. She had discovered this when trying to shoot Kylo in one of their first connections back on Ahch-To.

Then she told them her plan, exactly as she had laid it out to Poe. Poe interjected only when he thought a team member’s skills would be valuable and in those moments he explained what he needed from each of them. By the end of it Samuel, Rose and Finn all stared up at Rey in wordless shock. Finally someone broke the silence.

“That's insane,” Samuel shouted. “I'm in!”

“Me too,” Rose chimed in. “I'll do whatever I can to help.”

Poe had already told Rey he was in. That just left Finn. She looked over to him and his eyes darted away from her glance.

“Finn, will you help?” Her voice came out smaller than she’d meant it too. More like a little girl’s than the brave woman she would have to be to make this work. She hadn’t realized until now how much she needed her best friends support in what she was about to do.

He stood up and walked to where Rey was, grabbing her muscular arms in his hands and pulling her out of earshot of everyone else.

“Rey, I don't know if this is a good idea,” he said his voice barely a whisper. “We’ve already lost so much. We can't lose you too.”

She looked back into her friend’s eyes. It was the same look he’d given her back on Jakku when he’d grabbed hold of her hand, and it was the same look he’d had when he came knocking on her door all those weeks ago. In his eyes there was love. He was with her. He may be worried, but as her friend he would do what she asked. She had no fear of that now.

“I can’t do this without you,” she said.

Finn thought for a minute, but the decision was clear.

“Then I’m with you. Whatever you need.”

With those words the plan was set in motion.

\--

A week passed with no news from the rebels. Kylo Ren could still feel the thread that connected him to Rey, but he had no way to pull on it. He had tried calling to her every day since the death of his mother to no avail. She didn’t want to see him.

The thought of her soft warm body pressed against his, the thought of her lips and her mouth and the things they did were now all a memory. At times the memory seemed so distant he wondered if it even happened. Only the scent of jasmine and sheet metal that still lingered on his pillow told him that his memories were real.

The past week had been a busy one. General Hux and Leia Organa’s bodies had both been cremated as per protocol. Hux’s ashes had been sent back to his homeworld Arkanis and Leia’s remained on the ship with Kylo.

He was now sitting on his bed holding the urn that contained all that remained of his mother. Despite the ruthlessness he’d felt when killing Han Solo, he felt no pleasure in the death of his mother. Her love had never been enough to protect him, but in other ways it had been enough. He hadn’t wanted her to die.

Yet as he felt the cool metal of the urn under his bare fingertips he couldn’t muster another tear. What was done was done. Without the leadership of General Hux he was losing his crew. The possibility of getting Rey to join with him now seemed like a pipe dream, but he was running out of time for another plan.

Eyes closed, he reached out to her one last time. Beneath his eyelids she could make out her shape, the soft curves of her body under layers of sweeping fabric. He could smell her. He could taste her, and then…

He opened his eyes and there she was in front of him. He shut his eyes and opened them again, not wanting to be betrayed by his own desires. Even after opening his eyes a second time she was there, just as he’d imagined her.

“I called you to me,” he said, as excitedly as a boy on Christmas morning. “I am so glad you came.”

The look on Rey’s face was somber. This would not be like the last time she came to this room. There was no kindness in her eyes.

“Tell me why you did it.”

“It wasn’t what it looked like--” Kylo started. 

“Don’t lie to me,” Rey shouted. Tears were now pricking her eyes, threatening to fall. “What did she ever do besides love you? What did she do deserve what you did to her?”

Kylo Ren set the urn down on the bed and stood up to take a step toward Rey. Before he could move she had taken two steps back. Her hands went to her face, furiously wiping away the tears she wished would stop betraying her emotions. 

“What did I ever do besides love you?” This time when she spoke it was a whimper. So quiet he barely caught the words. He stepped forward closing the distance between them and now she didn’t make a move to get away.

He took her head in his hands, enveloping her in himself and kissed her hard on the mouth. He tasted the salty tears, and licked them from her lips. Rey’s eyes fluttered closed, eyelashes spotted with the remainder of her tears. She let him kiss her, and she kissed him back.

At that moment the hum of a lightsaber was the only sound in the room.

Kylo looked down at Rey, confused at what had happened. The lightsaber she held in her hand had struck him clear through. He gasped for air as his body sunk to the ground.

With labored breaths he choked out the last words he wanted her to hear. The words that had been weighing on him for months. 

“Rey from Nowhere, I love you.”

She knelt down beside him, unsure if her crew would be able to get her off the ship safely before Kylo Ren was discovered. She bent her head down to his. Her lips brushed his and she noticed that he was already turning cold.

“Ben Solo, I love you too.”


End file.
